TEA PRODUCTION PROCESS
Two distinctive teas crafted with care by Jyurakuen. Each production method embodies a century of history and artisan expertise.
Traditional Japanese powdered tea made from shade-grown tea leaves ground with stone mills
The First Step in Nurturing Tea Life
It takes approximately 5 years from planting tea trees to harvesting to create a single cup of tea.
To welcome the fresh spring tea, careful soil preparation and tea leaf management are carried out from the previous year, finally enabling harvest. Carefully nurtured in foot of Mt.Fuji's rich natural environment, tea trees are maintained in healthy condition to produce high-quality tea leaves.
Harvesting young tea shoots to draw out the tea’s inherent richness
Tea leaves for matcha are covered for 21 days before harvest to block sunlight and concentrate umami.
Shade cultivation increases amino acids in tea leaves while suppressing tannin, the astringent component. This special cultivation method creates matcha's characteristic sweetness and umami, achieving a vibrant green color.
Stopping enzyme activity to preserve green color
Harvested tea leaves are steamed to stop enzyme activity and preserve the characteristic green color of green tea.
Steaming is done for a short time of 20-30 seconds, stopping enzyme activity without damaging tea leaf cells. This process preserves the vivid green color and fresh aroma of the tea leaves.
Processing into Tencha
Steamed tea leaves are dried in a special furnace to create tencha.
By drying the tea leaves without rolling them, tencha is completed while preserving the leaf shape. This process reduces the moisture content of tea leaves to 3-4%, enabling long-term storage.
Traditional stone mills create ultra-fine powder
Tencha is carefully ground with stone mills to create smooth matcha powder.
Stone mill grinding is performed at an amazingly slow pace of about 40g per hour. This careful process achieves the fineness of matcha particles and preserves its flavor.
Japan's most beloved green tea, characterized by refreshing aroma and moderate astringency
Natural blessings through open-field cultivation
Cultivated under direct sunlight to nurture the tea leaves' inherent robust flavor.
Tea leaves for sencha are cultivated in open fields without covering, making them rich in catechins and caffeine. They are characterized by moderate astringency and refreshing taste.
Efficient mechanical picking
When new shoots have grown, they are efficiently harvested by machine while maintaining freshness.
First flush tea is harvested from late April to early May, second flush from late June to early July. Mechanical picking allows harvesting large quantities of tea leaves in fresh condition in a short time.
Deep steaming for rich flavor
Steaming longer than usual breaks tea leaf cells and draws out rich flavor.
Deep-steamed sencha is steamed for 60-120 seconds, making tea leaves finer and extracting dark green tea in a short time. It is characterized by mild flavor with less astringency.
Shaping and concentrating umami
Tea leaves are rolled while drying, shaping them into needle-like elongated forms.
Tea leaves are rolled in four stages: rough rolling, rolling, middle rolling, and final rolling, removing moisture while shaping into sencha's characteristic elongated form. This process breaks tea leaf tissue, making umami components easier to extract.
Final finish determines aroma
Appropriate firing enhances sencha's aroma and preservation qualities.
Firing removes excess moisture and brings out the aroma of tea leaves. The degree of firing creates a unique aroma called 'fire fragrance,' determining sencha's character.
Matcha, hojicha, and sencha born from different production methods. Please enjoy to your heart's content the artisan skills and natural blessings embedded in each cup.